SALT LAKE CITY — Because of current smoke conditions, northern Utah ranks among the worst air quality on the planet, according to IQAir, a website that monitors pollution levels around the world.
READ: Wildfire smoke blankets northern Utah, darkens sky
A thick haze fell on northern Utah Friday morning as winds shifted and brought in wildfire smoke from Oregon and northern California. The air quality is as bad as the worst inversion conditions found during the winter in northern Utah.
Salt Lake City and Denver, which is also being affected by out-of-state smoke, are the only two U.S. cities ranked among the top 20 most polluted areas.
Thick smoke from upstream fires in northern California will remain across N Utah through the day today. Expect conditions to begin improving tonight as the winds becomes more northerly. The two images below are smoke forecasts for 3pm (2100 UTC) and 1am tonight (0700 UTC). #utwx pic.twitter.com/ZYnexciQnr
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) August 6, 2021
The Salt Lake County Health Department issued tips for improving air quality during the current conditions:
- Keep windows and doors closed
- Limit use of a swamp cooler
- Close the fresh air intake vent on window AC units
- Avoid adding to the poor air quality by burning
- Consider buying an indoor air purifier
- Postpone house cleaning
- Avoid being too active
- Use N95 masks
